The Vicious Return
A monumental aura rushed over them.
The moment Ushijima Wakatoshi landed from the air, the Seijoh team felt as though they were facing an insurmountable mountain, and a massive shadow instantly fell over everyone's hearts.
"Damn it, this absolute monster."
Sweat beaded on Oikawa's forehead. Without a doubt, the current Ushijima Wakatoshi felt more like a true monster than Akashi.
Just like Akashi's spike in the first set towards Shiratorizawa.
Ushijima Wakatoshi returned the favor in the same manner at the start of the second set.
And... his spiking power was stronger, and the sense of oppression was even more astonishing.
"So powerful!"
This spike stunned not only the Seijoh team but also his teammate Goshiki Tsutomu.
Goshiki Tsutomu initially joined Shiratorizawa because he admired Ushijima Wakatoshi's strength and chose Shiratorizawa with the goal of defeating him.
However, since the start of the school year, Goshiki Tsutomu hadn't had a clear understanding of Ushijima Wakatoshi's power, because in daily training, Ushijima Wakatoshi consistently displayed overwhelming dominance.
It wasn't until today, when Seijoh took the first set, that the true power of this "Nation's Top Three Ace" was finally forced out.
...
The Setter's Observation
"Hey! Alright, snap out of it."
Just as the Seijoh players were lost in awe of Ushijima Wakatoshi's recent spike, Oikawa suddenly clapped his hands, jolting everyone awake: "Don't be overly intimidated. We have always known how strong that jerk Ushiwaka is. We have our own weapons, too. Let's play solidly and secure this point first."
Though Oikawa can be flighty, in a match, as a setter and captain, he is undeniably an excellent player.
It was as if, with him on the court, Seijoh's rhythm could never truly be thrown into chaos.
Everyone adjusted their breathing and reformed their defense to face Shiratorizawa's second serve.
Soon, with the referee's whistle, Semi Eita's second serve arrived, and this time, the serve was steadily received by Watari Shinji.
Oikawa took the ball and quickly organized the offense.
The volleyball ultimately went to Akashi. Akashi decisively jumped, but at the exact same moment, a blocker instantly shadowed him.
It was Shiratorizawa's Middle Blocker, Kawanishi Taichi.
Kawanishi Taichi's height is 188.3\text{ cm}.
To be honest, this height is certainly not short, but trying to block Akashi's spike with just one person is clearly a high difficulty, as Shiratorizawa's players, aside from Ushijima Wakatoshi, are only merely excellent.
However, the problem wasn't just the one blocker in front. Utilizing his increasingly powerful hang time, Akashi quickly scanned the court and was surprised to find that the opposing defense had no openings.
A blocker in front sealed the straight line, while on the sides were Shiratorizawa's Libero and the consistently stable Wing Spiker.
"I'm being targeted."
In an instant, Akashi understood the situation.
Without much time for thought, Akashi hesitated for only a second before decisively spiking the volleyball towards Ohira Leon's position.
SLAP!
Unsurprisingly, the spike was received.
However, Akashi's spike carried immense power, and Ohira Leon failed to control the direction, causing the ball to rebound back onto Seijoh's side of the court.
"My apologies!" Ohira Leon said.
Meanwhile, Seijoh shouted: "It's alright, chance ball!"
Seijoh stabilized their formation. After receiving the rebound from the backcourt, Oikawa continued to organize the second-round attack.
Oikawa also noticed that Akashi was being targeted. After a moment of thought, Oikawa decided to have Kindaichi initiate the attack.
As the volleyball flew toward Kindaichi, Oikawa was surprised to see that Kawanishi Taichi, the blocker assigned to shadow Akashi, remained in front of Akashi without moving.
"Are they planning to abandon the defense against everyone but Akashi?"
Oikawa was slightly puzzled. However, in the next second, Kindaichi's spike was suddenly blocked.
BAM!
SLAP!
The volleyball hit a pair of arms and fell back onto Seijoh's court.
The person who intercepted Kindaichi's spike was none other than Tendo Satori.
The score came to 0:2.
"My fault!" Kindaichi said remorsefully.
"It's alright, it's alright. Keep working hard on the next one," the team comforted Kindaichi.
Oikawa observed the opposing team's layout and gradually realized:
"I see! Having the Middle Blocker specifically shadow Akashi, and then relying entirely on Tendo Satori to block everyone else! They've put up this level of caution against Akashi... I suppose we've been looked down upon!"
A subtle, fierce 'snarl' slowly appeared on Oikawa's lips.
On the Shiratorizawa team, because Ushijima Wakatoshi does not participate in defense, they are already down one defensive player.
Now, to seal off Akashi's attack, they specifically assigned one person to shadow him. This means that as long as Ushijima Wakatoshi is in the front court, Shiratorizawa only has Tendo Satori left to defend against all of Seijoh's spikers other than Akashi.
This could be understood as a defensive tactic.
But it could also be interpreted as the belief that, to Shiratorizawa, none of Seijoh's spikers, besides Akashi, are worth worrying about.
"Iwa-chan!"
"Yeah, you don't need to tell me, I already know."
Iwaizumi Hajime also twisted his fingers with a fierce grin, a villainous expression gradually appearing on his face: "Well then, let these jerks at Shiratorizawa take a good look at who the true ace of Seijoh is!"
BEEP!
Shiratorizawa's Semi Eita served the third ball. The power of this serve was still strong, but Watari Shinji, having adapted to the opponent's serving rhythm, received it steadily.
After Oikawa took the ball, all three front-row players jumped simultaneously, but Tendo Satori remained completely unfazed.
Until a certain moment.
A 'morbid' smile suddenly appeared on Tendo Satori's face. He quickly shifted laterally to the far right of the court and jumped to block. At the same time, Matsukawa Issei on the opposite side slowly descended, gradually revealing the figure of Iwaizumi Hajime leaping high behind him.
"Got you! Seijoh's 'Ace'," Tendo Satori said with a laugh.
On the opposite side, Iwaizumi Hajime saw Tendo Satori appear in his spiking line, but his expression remained completely unchanged; he simply swung his arm resolutely.
BAM!
Accompanying the sound of the hit, the volleyball shot out abruptly, leaving a straight afterimage in the air. It pierced through Tendo Satori's block and landed directly on the sideline of the Shiratorizawa court.
BEEP!
The whistle sounded.
Iwaizumi Hajime landed from the air, looking at the Shiratorizawa players opposite him and shouting: "Don't underestimate the dignity of an upperclassman, you jerks at Shiratorizawa!"